The application form is only one piece of your application package. Several items must be uploaded to your application in order for it to be complete. The deadline is December 31 for Fall admission.

Application FeeA non-refundable application fee of eighty-five U.S. dollars (U.S. $85.00) must accompany each application. The fee must be paid online with a debit or credit card at the time of application. Checks and cash will not be accepted. We will not process applications that are not accompanied by the application fee. The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will not grant an application fee waiver.Return to top

Note to Foreign ApplicantsThe application fee is required of all applicants, including foreign students. We recognize that some foreign students may have difficulty with currency exchange. However, payment of the fee cannot be deferred until the time of enrollment. An application can be processed ONLY when the application fee has been received. Return to top

Letters of EvaluationThree letters are required. The letters should be written by people best qualified to testify to your capacity for graduate work. It is always our preference to have academic references representing your major field, though we recognize that there are situations where this may not be possible. In such circumstances, we encourage you to seek out those persons who can comment on qualities that will be relevant to your academic goals, particularly research.
Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically via the links provided in the application process. Instructions for requesting online recommendations is included within the online application. Return to top

Academic TranscriptsWe require one unofficial copy of the transcript from each institution (undergraduate and graduate) that you have attended. These transcripts are an essential piece of your application. Include transcripts from any institution where you earned (or will earn) a degree, studied for one year or more, or took classes that relate to your current application for graduate study. You will need to upload unofficial transcripts to the application. If you are offered admission, we will require that official transcripts be sent prior to processing your enrollment documents.

Official transcripts should be in confidential, signed-across-the-seal envelopes provided to you by the registrar of each institution. It is critical that the transcripts be in confidential envelopes. Electronic official PDF file format transcripts sent directly from your university are acceptable.Personal copies of your records, or copies which have passed through your hands and are therefore not confidential, are not acceptable and will not be regarded as official. Final transcripts indicating the degree conferred will be required upon completion of the applicants current program if accepting an offer of admission.

NOTE TO FOREIGN APPLICANTS: The academic records which we refer to as transcripts should provide a listing, year-by-year, of all courses taken and the grade or marks received for each one. It is helpful to have the grading scale of the institution and the student's rank in class included when such information is available. Do not submit secondary school records. Transcripts must bear an official signature in ink of the appropriate official of your institution(s), such as the registrar or recorder of records, and must bear the institutional seal. If your college or university will not provide original official academic documents, exact copies that have been verified as "Certified True Copies" by the appropriate institutional official of each institution that you have attended should be sent. Uncertified photocopies are not acceptable.To be considered, all documents not in English must be accompanied by official English translations. These translations must bear an original ink signature and seal, and translations alone will not be acceptable. Return to top

GRE ScoresThe Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering requires all applicants to provide GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test scores. The scores must not be more than five years old to be considered official. In some cases, we are able to get the official scores electronically. If you are offered admission and we aren't able to get your scores electronically, you will be required to have an official copy sent to Rice University directly from the Educational Testing Service. The Institution Code for Rice University is 6609 and the Department Code of 1001. Personal copies are not acceptable.

Rice University receives GRE scores electronically from the Educational Testing Service. Because we match scores by an applicant's name, it is important that you explicitly call our attention to any discrepancies that might occur between your name as reported on your application forms and as recorded on your GRE scores.

Be sure to take the GRE in time for official scores to reach us by the December 31st deadline. For further information on the GRE and registration forms, please contact the

Educational Testing Service,

P.O. Box 6000,

Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000

USA

Telephone: (609) 771-7670

E-mail: gre-info@ets.org

GRE website: http://www.gre.org.

NOTE TO FOREIGN APPLICANTS: We realize that language and cultural differences may affect the GRE scores of foreign students, particularly those whose native language is not English. This is taken into consideration when such students' applications are evaluated. The scores are nevertheless required and must come directly from the Educational Testing Service. Return to top

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to provide proof of English proficiency in one or more of the following ways:

1) TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language):

Minimum score of 90 on the internet-based TOEFL

Minimum score 600 on the paper-based TOEFL

or minimum score of 250 on the computer-based TOEFL

2) IELTS (International English Language Testing System):

Minimum score of 7

3) The prospective student received a degree from a university in which English is the official language of communication.

The program reserves the right to further determine language proficiency via a personal interview (such as Skype). Waiver of the TOEFL and IELTS test may be requested by the admitting department if the department deems that the student has sufficient English communication skills to be successful in their degree program and has obtained approval from the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. An approval is necessary before an official offer can be made.

Your score must not be more than two years old to be considered official. If the department is not able to get your scores electronically, you will be required to have an official copy sent to the department directly from ETS (Educational Testing Center). See information for the testing center in the GRE section above.Return to top

Your application and all supporting documents help us know your work, your goals, and your abilities as a chemical engineer. Your personal statement should include information about your professional goals and discuss your research interests. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY APPLICATION MATERIALS DIRECTLY TO THE DEPARTMENT. IF AN APPLICANT IS OFFERED ADMISSION THE DEPARTMENT WILL THEN REQUEST ANY NEEDED DOCUMENTS. Return to top